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Japan Times
02-04-2025
- Japan Times
A new human trafficking trend emerges from Myanmar scam centers
In January, a 17-year-old high school student from Miyagi Prefecture traveled to Thailand after a Japanese man he had met through an online video game promised him a high-paying job abroad. Using a flight ticket provided by the man, he arrived in Thailand and was eventually taken to a hotel in Myanmar, where he was forced to take part in a global scam operation involving tens of thousands of people along the Thai-Myanmar border. While his family filed a missing persons report back home, the high schooler — under the watchful eyes of security guards with assault rifles — made phone calls from the Southeast Asian nation to Japan some 4,000 kilometers away, according to accounts he gave to Japanese police, as reported by the Asahi Shimbun. Fortunately, he was released and returned to Japan 10 days later after Japanese authorities reached out to their Thai counterparts. The news was shocking not only because of the massive scale of the elaborate scam, but because it revealed how an ordinary high school student in Japan could be trafficked and forced into working for a foreign crime syndicate — all through something as seemingly harmless as online gaming. However, for those familiar with Myanmar and Southeast Asia, this comes as no surprise. A Chinese crime syndicate has long been known to operate the large-scale scam, posing an ongoing headache for local authorities and international organizations trying to dismantle the network. Increased pressure from the Chinese government, along with tighter enforcement by Thai authorities, has led to a series of crackdowns over the past month, resulting in the repatriation of at least 7,000 foreign nationals from the fraud factory known as KK Park. Indonesians who had worked at scam centers in Myanmar disembark an aircraft at an airport in Tangerang, Banten, near Jakarta, on March 18. | POOL / via AFP-JIJI At least seven Japanese nationals have been detained and sent back so far. One suspect, who is thought to have been involved in recruiting the high school student, was arrested by Osaka Prefectural Police in late March. Yet this is only the tip of the iceberg. The scam center — estimated by the United Nations to hold at least 120,000 people — is thought to still be operating in a region, which has a long history of crime. With this new type of human trafficking increasingly targeting middle to upper-middle class individuals from all across the world, dismantling the syndicate remains a daunting challenge with no clear end in sight. History of crime The Myanmar scam center has its roots in Chinese online gambling operations that were forced out of mainland China as early as 2008. As Chinese authorities began clamping down on these illegal businesses, operations initially shifted to the China-Myanmar border in northern Myanmar, where brick-and-mortar casinos already existed, said Jason Tower, an analyst at the U.S. Institute of Peace and an expert on conflict dynamics in Myanmar and Southeast Asia. As infrastructure such as electricity and internet connectivity improved in Myanmar, some operations pivoted around 2017 to Myawaddy and Mae Sot along the Myanmar-Thai border. Civil conflict between the Myanmar military and armed groups near the China border, coupled with crackdowns on the syndicate's other hubs in countries such as Cambodia and the Philippines, eventually pushed most of the network to relocate to this area by 2023. At this time, the illicit operations evolved into more complex scams as the crime groups realized that there were only so many people they could siphon money out of through online gambling addiction. '(The crime syndicates) were increasingly incorporating romance scams or some kind of (fraud that) appeal to individuals' desires to get people addicted to gambling,' said Tower. 'Then someone had the bright idea to try, rather than offering a gambling product, using that same modality of outreach, to offer an investment opportunity. 'And that was kind of the birth of the pig-butchering scam,' he said. Over 7,000 foreign nationals, a majority of them Chinese, were freed from KK Park following the crackdown in February. | REUTERS The "pig-butchering scam" is a long-term, sophisticated investment fraud in which scammers court the victim online and convince them to invest in bogus financial schemes — only to steal their money. According to Tower, when new scammers join, they are told to make an online persona, for example by creating Instagram and LinkedIn profiles that portray them as successful and attractive individuals. They initiate contact with potential victims by sending seemingly accidental or misfired messages. Over time they build trust in order to convince the target to invest in a fraudulent venture such as a cryptocurrency. The region became a haven for criminal activity due to a combination of factors. Chief among them is the ongoing civil unrest in Myanmar, which has lacked a stable, centralized government since gaining independence in 1948. Its long border with Thailand also has a long history of illicit trade, particularly in areas such as Myawaddy and Mae Sot. Many local authorities have been tied to these underground economies, allowing illegal operations to go unchecked. 'No matter how much the Myanmar government tries, it can't regulate the area on its own — and beyond that, many local authorities are benefiting from the illicit activity," said Yoshihiro Nakanishi, researcher and associate professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University. "And it had to be at the border because the infrastructure comes from Thailand. So the location is convenient — it's out of reach from both countries.' Evolution of human trafficking In a recent roundup by Myanmar's Border Guard Forces, more than 7,000 foreign nationals from 28 countries were detained in the scam centers, according to local media reports — demonstrating the unprecedented scale and global reach of these trafficking operations. Before this phenomenon, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia had never been destination countries for human trafficking, said Tower. 'This is definitely a very different trend in human trafficking than anything we've seen before,' he said. 'Secondly, you've got now a range of countries all around the globe that really have never had problems with their nationals being trafficked ... this is the first time in human history where anyone, anywhere, can be trafficked into Southeast Asia just by going online and looking for a job,' Tower said. Alleged scam center workers and victims rest during a crackdown by the Karen Border Guard Force in Myanmar's eastern Myawaddy township in February. Many said they were trafficked and forced to swindle people around the world in complex internet scams. | AFP-JIJI Human trafficking has traditionally been associated with people in dire economic situations who are forcibly kidnapped, smuggled or moved across borders and exploited. However, in this case, the syndicates are increasingly targeting middle- to upper-class individuals, luring them with promises of high-paying jobs in Thailand — offers that turn out to be far from what was advertised. The ways in which the syndicate deceive people are becoming increasingly creative. In one case, a known figure in the Chinese film industry orchestrated a scheme in which several professionals were led to believe they were traveling to Thailand to audition for roles in a film production. Instead, they were trafficked to scam centers in Myawaddy. The case of the Japanese high school student, lured through an online gaming platform, highlights another common tactic used by these syndicates to target individuals from specific countries. 'The people trafficked aren't necessarily those that were kidnapped or were looking to get involved in crimes to begin with,' said Kyoto University's Nakanishi. 'Many of them had been tricked into being there." And the syndicates are targeting middle-class workers with skill sets high enough to be useful, whether making scam phone calls or creating programs for the scheme, according to Nakanishi. A large proportion of the victims are still Chinese, given that it is a Chinese crime syndicate that started off attempting to defraud people in its country. However, as Chinese authorities continue to crack down on the syndicate at home, it has begun turning to other nations. Outside of China, Tower noted that countries in Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam are hit the hardest when it comes to trafficking would-be scammers, with many also brought in from African countries for their English-speaking abilities. Wealthier countries in the region such as Singapore and Malaysia, as well as the U.S., are most widely targeted as victims. Although not as widespread, an uptick in cases has also been seen in Japan and South Korea. Going forth Thai authorities tightened their reins in February after a bilateral summit was held between Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier that month. Electricity was cut in the region in an attempt to halt the syndicate's operations, and local police officers were replaced to eliminate corruption. With the cooperation of the rebel group in power in Myawaddy, the scam centers at KK Park were raided, resulting in the release of 7,000-plus foreign nationals, a majority of them being Chinese. Many of them returned to their home countries. 'But based on my understanding of things, it's less than 5% of the total numbers that are actually operating inside of those scam centers,' said Tower. Some executive members of the syndicate are thought to have fled prior to the roundups to avoid being arrested. A Japanese man (second from left) is transferred to Thailand from Myanmar on March 18. His is face is blurred for privacy reasons. | JIJI 'There is a double layer of pressure going on here where China puts pressure on Thailand to act, and Thailand in turn puts pressure on the rebel groups (in Myawaddy) and it worked to some extent this time,' said Nakanishi, noting that although the scams are a pressing issue in China, it is difficult for authorities in the country to take direct action since Myawaddy is far from its borders. 'However, it is thought that (members of the crime syndicate) most likely escaped to other border areas and will do this again — this kind of crime is always a cat-and-mouse game between those who crack down and the criminals,' he added. To find a long-term solution to this issue, it is important to recognize that this is no longer a local problem in Myanmar, but a global one that affects many nations who must address it as such, Nakanishi said. 'Myanmar's military government does not have the power to crack down on these issues on its own. Therefore, stabilizing the political situation in Myanmar in the long term is not just Myanmar's problem but a problem that is connected to social issues in various countries,' said Nakanishi. 'The ongoing conflict in Myanmar tends to be forgotten, but I think it is necessary for other Asian countries to pay more attention to Myanmar and seriously recognize how the aftermath of its political problems can and is shaking the regional order.'
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Yahoo
'Contemplated suicide': Ethiopians recount horror of SE Asia scam centres
Starved, beaten and electrocuted, Ahmed remains traumatised months after being trafficked to Southeast Asia, one of an untold number of Africans forced to work in scam centres far from home. The complexes have flourished across the region, often staffed by foreigners who are made to swindle people in what analysts say is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Among them are Ethiopians, like 25-year-old Ahmed, who sign up for the promise of well-paid jobs. Instead, they run "love scams" -- often referred to as "pig butchering" -- inside infamous prison-like compounds that have mushroomed across Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The scammers operate fake profiles of wealthy Western women to lure men, and sometimes women, into investing in crypto-currencies -- before vanishing with their savings. Hundreds have been released from complexes in Myanmar in recent weeks, according to local sources. But the United Nations said in 2023 that "hundreds of thousands" were "forcibly engaged by organised criminal gangs into online criminality" across Southeast Asia. Ahmed -- whose name AFP has changed to protect his identity -- endured months of captivity last year and returned home in December. "I contemplated suicide," he said. - Imprisoned, abused - Ahmed said he was approached by an old friend offering him a job abroad that paid up to $500 a month. It was a fortune in Ethiopia where the median monthly wage hovers around $24, according to the International Labour Organization. His family raised $1,600 to send him to Laos, but he soon realised his friend had betrayed him when he was sucked into the scam world. He managed to talk his way out of a compound in Laos, only to be abducted by armed men and taken to another in Myanmar, where his captors demanded $5,000 for his release. "When I told them I'm poor and don't have money they laughed and then gave me electronic shocks that left me unconscious," he said. On the 11th day, he said, half-starved, he was presented with a choice: work for free for 18 months, pay the ransom, or have sex on camera. He chose to work for free, but conditions were significantly worse than in Laos. "There were people in the compound who lost limbs because of torture," Ahmed said. "The administrators of the place used to cut fingers of 'misbehaving or mediocre' staff," he added. "I feel lucky... Even though I'm still suffering the effects of electrocution, my limbs haven't been amputated." - Africa targeted - Ahmed said there were roughly 3,000 people working in the Myanmar centre, including Ethiopians, Kenyans and Ugandans. Africans are increasingly a target for scam centres, which require people who are proficient in English, desperate for work and digitally literate, said Jason Tower, Myanmar country director for the United States Institute of Peace who is based in the Thai capital Bangkok. There is also little intervention from their governments. "In the case of the Ethiopians, there's really almost no support that's being given from the embassies or the diplomatic staff out here," Tower, whose research examines transnational criminal networks, told AFP. "The Ethiopian government has done nothing to help me," said Ahmed. The government did not respond to an AFP request for comment. The brutality is worsening, Tower said, as the complexes have been chased from Cambodia and Laos by government crackdowns and international pressure, into even more lawless territories held by Myanmar armed groups. Ahmed said he and fellow Africans were treated worse than others. "While Africans were subjected to severe torture as punishment, Chinese and Indians were punished with push-ups," he said. - Crisis upon crisis - Two other Ethiopians spoke to AFP about being trafficked, describing similar experiences. "We reached a dilapidated compound which had blood stains on the inside walls," Mohammed -- also a pseudonym -- told AFP of a Myanmar complex. "They beat me daily with wire whips, causing cuts on my back and head... I wished I was dead," he said. The 26-year-old endured six months before his family raised almost $8,000 to secure his release -- leaving them virtually penniless. When Ahmed got home, he realised his family had somehow raised $2,000 for his freedom and flight. "My family is now indebted and economically destitute because of my ordeal," he said. "I feel like I have returned from one crisis and entered into another." str-rbu/er/kjm/fox
